Are you a developer or a programming student and wondering which the best laptop for programming is? Well! Here we have compiled out the list of Top 10 Best Laptops for Programming and Coding 2017 after thorough research on the market. Of course budget is the main constraint while making purchases and we have kept that it mind while making out this best developer laptops list. Be a budding developer, experienced programmer making several thousands every month or a computer science student on tight budget, there is a laptop for everyone's budget here.
Best Programming Laptop Configuration:
There is no such thing like special laptops made for programming or coding. But before buying a laptop specifically for programming, game development or coding you must consider certain features so that the laptop meets your programming requirements.
So what should you look for in a laptop you buy ideally for programming/coding/game development?
- Powerful Processor like Intel Core i5, i7 or AMD A10 (or higher)
- Minimum RAM of 8GB
- Enough storage space (500GB HDD or preferably 128GB SSD as they are faster than HDD)
- 2GB Dedicated Graphics card at the min. (if you are into game development this one holds high priority)
- Good battery backup
And this one is of minor importance. Developer laptop needs to have full-size keyboard - spaciously well-placed and illuminated keys. If you are prone to work for long hours or low-lightings then I can't insist more. And here AndroidCanvasHQ has some pretty good recommendations on laptops with number pad. A great boon for coding work.
Top 10 Best Laptops for Coding and Programming:
1. Dell Inspiron i7559-763blk Programming Laptop
Dell Inspiron i7559-763blk tops our list of Top 10 Best Laptops for Programming and Coding. This one is the ideal choice for programmers & game developers with the right amount of power, execution, and performance. Dell i7559 is powered with 6th generation Intel Core i7 Processor clocked at 2.3GHz together with 8GB DDR3L RAM and 4GB 960M NVIDIA Graphics card making it a perfect fit for serious gaming too. It sports a wide 15.6 inch screen which is Full HD and Anti-Glare and comes with excellent 256GB SSD. If you are a Windows lover then rejoice, this powerful beast comes pre-installed with Windows 10 which seals the deal.
2. HP Pavilion 13-s128nr: Affordable Programming Laptop with Touchscreen
HP Pavilion 13-s128nr is a very affordable touchscreen laptop that doubles as a tablet too. Being stylish and portable this 2-in-1 hybrid laptop is definitely a looker and packs superb configuration to meet all your programming needs. HP Pavilion 13-s128nr is made to run high-end coding softwares with ease and packs Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and a compatible 13.3-inch FHD screen under its hood. And the best thing is, it comes pre installed with Windows 10 OS and SSD storage of 128GB which is much faster than the traditional HDD disks. Priced under $700 this is a great choice for beginners and programming students.
3. MacBook Pro 15.4 inch Laptop: Best Programming Laptop Ever
It's not news, wide number of Programmers & Developers prefers MAC OS X over Windows or Ubuntu and so many of them own both Windows Laptop and MacBook for coding. If you are a professional with high-budget then MacBook Pro is the laptop you have to go for. It comes with 2.5GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-core Processor with insane 16GB RAM for mind blowing performance and smoothness. And the best part is the awesome 15.4 inch retina display along with AMD Radeon R9 M370X, Intel Iris Pro graphics and 512GB PCIe-based flash storage.
4. Acer Aspire E 15: Budget Laptop for Software Development
Acer Aspire E 15 is the most affordable laptop on the market without compromising specs and performance and priced below 600 dollars. The laptop is suitable for both programming and gaming with 6th generation Intel Core i5 6200U Processor coupled with NVIDIA GeForce GTX940MX 2GB Graphic card. It offers 256GB SSD for storage and 8GB RAM for handling high-end softwares without struggle. Overall Aspire E15 is the best laptop for coding on budget. Highly recommended!
5. Lenovo Y700: Good Laptop for Coders & Game Developers
Lenovo Y700 is the solid 15.6 inch coding and gaming laptop with massive 16GB RAM teamed up with 6th gen. Intel Core i7 6700HQ Processor clocked at 2.6 GHz. And the best part of Lenovo Y700 is it's Graphics processor. Whether you are an occasional gamer or professional game developer, it's powerful NVIDIA GeForce 960M Graphics card render the graphics in high definition. Besides it has got 15.6 inch large display and 1TB of storage which is great.
6. ASUS K501UW: Cheapest Laptop for Game Developers
ASUS K501UW is the most affordable gaming laptop from Asus. It packs so much power with 6th generation Intel Core i7 Processor with turbo-boost teamed up with 8GB RAM and can run any programming softwares with ease. ASUS K501UW is recommended for any programming but comes with some high-end features especially beneficial for Game developers which are rare to see on a laptop in this price range. It comes fitted with powerful NVIDIA GTX series 960M graphic card, backlit full size keyboard to work in low-light conditions and dual fan cooling system with IceCool technology to keep it from heating due to rendering high-graphics.
7. Lenovo IdeaPad 510: Best Programming Laptop 2017
Lenovo IdeaPad 510 is another good programming laptop in 2017 for beginners and programming students. The laptop is powered with Intel core i7 processor and a graphics processor of NVIDIA GTX 940Mx coupled with 12GB RAM which is excellent when it comes to performance. It offers 15.6 inch Full HD display and spacious full-sized keyboards to aid type coding for long-hours without fatigue. Overall Lenovo IdeaPad 510 includes all the right specs required for coding but doesn't burn a hole in your pocket.
8. Acer Aspire E5-573G-56RG: Cheap Laptop for Programming Students
Priced under $600 Acer Aspire E5-573G-56RG is probably the cheapest programming laptop you can get in the market. No matter if you are a game developer or a coder, Aspire E5-573G is what you want. The laptop boasts the right combination of power and performance packing 8GB DDR3L SDRAM, Intel Core i5 5200U (turbo boost up to 2.7 GHz) with 3MB Cache along with Nvidia GeForce 940 GPU of 2GB Video Ram. It packs 1TB of Hard Disk space, 15.6" Full HD 1080p screen, 4-5 hours of decent battery backup and the best of all is the pre-installed Windows 10 OS. What's more to ask? Just the right laptop for tight budget.
9. ASUS Zenbook UX303UB: Portable Programming Laptop with Touchscreen
If you want a portable laptop to meet your programming requirements, then this little genie is all you want. It comes with sleek and shiny outlook with compact 13.3 inch QHD Touchscreen and weighs next to nothing and perfectly suitable for travel. The ultrabook delivers lightning speed with powerful Intel Core i7 processor together with 12GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage which is amazing for its size. Supported with NVIDIA GTX 940M Graphics Processor, performance is not something you have to bother.
10. MSI GE72 Apache Pro-003: Gaming + Programming Laptop
MSI GE72 Apache Pro-003 is another great gaming laptop with sleek look and advanced hardware architecture. Powered with 6th generation Intel Core i7 6700HQ Processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX960M 2GB Graphics along with 16GB RAM, the laptops performance is spectacular. Also the bigger 17.3 inch Full HD Matte Screen with True Color Technology brings out the gaming characters to life. If you are not budget constraint and want mind-blowing gaming experience go for MSI GE72 Apache Pro-003.
Also Read: Top 10 Best Laptops for Writers 2017
Over To You:
That's makes for our list of top 10 best programming laptops 2017. I hope our Laptop reviews have provided you the best choices in the market and will help you pick the best laptop for coding. Being a web developer myself, I can once again assure you that the laptops we have recommended are more than capable of meeting all your programming requirements. If you are a game developer or an avid gamer then go for laptops with high graphics card (GPU) otherwise you can settle for any one of the mid-level laptops from the list.
